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Who and what to believe

All sorts of questions came to mind when I found this story recently in the Claremore Progress. The headline read: “Married people are fatter and happier.”

Now I’ve seen many a story about a couple celebrating their 50th, 60th, or even their 75th wedding anniversary. Yes, it does happen and sometimes in their picture they do look happy. But I have to note that when there has

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been a photo of the honored pair, usually they’re not candidates for that TV program where the contestants are trying to lose half or more of themselves in weight.

The story said that if you want to live a long life, you should get married. It’s reasoning?

“Study after study has shown that married people, particularly married men, live significantly longer than their single friends. Some of the research is overall correlation, while other studies look at specific diseases and possible mechanisms.

“Doctors at Harvard tossed some more data on the pile last month, showing that married patients were more likely to identify cancer in its early stages and less likely to die from the disease than their unmarried peers. Epidemiologists refer to the well-established correlation between marriage and longevity as the ‘marriage protection hypothesis.’ ”

Well, it got my attention.

The story in the Claremore Progress had some interesting observations, including: “It’s not all good news for married people, though: Marriage also increases obesity rates.”

Good cooking? Or, just good eating? No exercise? So what is the cause?

It said: “For most people, a morning cup of java isn’t harmful. But if you rely on coffee to get you out of bed, to stave off midmorning headaches and to avoid the 3 p.m. crash, you may be hooked on one of the most popular drugs in the world.”

Uh, oh. Not good.

It went on to say: ” … caffeine is a tricky stimulant to shake. Though tolerance levels vary, drinking just 100 milligrams per day — the amount of a small cup of brewed coffee — and then giving it up can lead to withdrawal symptoms ranging from headaches and depression to flulike nausea and muscle pain, according to the National Institutes of Health. Caffeine may have some health benefits, but so far research is weak. Some kinds of headaches cause blood vessels to widen; caffeine temporarily causes them to narrow. Coffee may also help reduce your risk of Parkinson’s disease.”

That’s it. I’m swearing off coffee. But wait a minute. The story in the Shawnee newspaper (http://tinyurl.com/kwxm7qp) seemed to disagree strongly.

It said: “A cup of coffee a day keeps the doctor away? For those of you who can’t part with your morning cup of Joe, take heart: Turns out a daily dose of java comes with a number of surprising health perks. Once considered a toxic vice, coffee is now being touted as one of the healthiest beverages on the planet, when consumed in moderation.”

The advantages included making you smarter, cutting your cancer risk, helping thwart depression, protecting your liver and cutting your risk of developing diabetes, as well as others.

So I’m back to Square One. Who do you believe?

I think this one is going to take some investigation.

There’s got to be more to come on this one

And if you missed this one first time around, keep an eye open. You’re sure to get an update.

A 9-year-old Ardmore boy walked to a nearby store and used the phone to call 911 for help after his father ordered him out of the house and to not return. http://tinyurl.com/mr2cqnk

The boy was sent to a non-custodial parent after he was taken by the Department of Human Services, the story in the Daily Ardmoreite reads. But as for the father?

The investigators’ information has been given to the district attorney for consideration of further action.

There will be plenty of sets of eyes awaiting the outcome, you can bet.